Thanks fallen... wish more ppl could go there but it is so remote and there is a total lack of operators out there. Tom, the guy I went with, is booked solid for the next 2 years as are the other 2 reputable operators from what I understand... they may have a spot here and there open but they are few and far between. A few others do run tours there but I can't speek on them.

They are even talking a bit about a lottery to get in and view these bears to minimalize the impact on the region which will make it even harder for the average person to go there. I'm lucky enough to had an "in" now so getting back shouldn't be hard but more ppl need to be aware of this area and what is happening there.

What's left of it is the largest remaining temperate rain forest in the world but it is shrinking fast due to logging, fisheries, and oil. I don't speek out openly about things like this often but this area needs to be permanently protected. There are some nightmare stories about what is going on there as well as what ppl are doing to fight against the machine but its not wise to discuss them openly.

It probalby won't catch on as a tourist site though due to remoteness and weather. It gets an average of 3 meters of rain a year... most in the fall and that is when you want to be there cause of the salmon runs.

LOL thanks 4x... I was thinking the same thing when he was eye-balling me... Most of the people tended to stay in a tight group but I tend to be on the edges whenever I can on these trips... there were several times when a bear was within a few meters and I thought to myself even though there were others close to me... within 2 meters as well.... if the bear wanted it would get to me before anyone could react... might not kill me but sure would do a lot of damage before the guides or anyone reacted. Only thing the guides and our captain had was pepper spray and apperantly if a large bear is ticked the pepper spray doesn't do much good for long. These bears were fussy though.. they would bypass male salmon and only go for the females... then they would eat the eggs and brains and for the most part leave the rest of the fish for scavengers so they were well fed and close to hybernation... in about 3 to 4 weeks. I know I have a good series of a grizzly selectively eating the brains only of a salmon and then walking away... will need to find it after they have been picked through.

On to the Spirit Bear... the first pic is of a painting in the native long house in Hartley Bay depicting the Spirit Bear. Even though we were the first group allowed to photograph the bear only, out of respect, I'm choosing to show the painting in its entirety.

and in person.... this really was an amazing 2 days spent with these rare bears.

I have talked before about when going on trips like this with multiple photographers, if you want to get unique pictures, one needs to look for angles and create intimate moments. On day one we noticed that when we did spook a bear it went just behind a bush in cover to eat. looking for an angle I found a little hole in the greenery to shoot through if you got low and got a bit away from the rest of the people. I made sure it was OK with the guides... the following 2 pics are the result... well 2 of many results. During this whole sequence I never heard one other shutter going off and a few people asked me what I was shooting and how I could shoot through the opening. For me these pics raelly create an intimate moment with the bear....

These final 2 shots really showcase the bear in its natural environ for me...

Amazing pictures, my favorite is the 2nd to last. I've been an outdoors-man my whole life and I've seen lots of beautiful places, I've always wanted to capture them with pictures. I've got my first DLSR now and I'm learning, pictures like these are the reason I want to learn, I hope to someday get pictures as good as these. Thanks for sharing!

Been a long time since this trip but I've had multiple requests to post some pics of the landscape from this region and I'm bored so went through my batch pics... let me say at the outset I'm not a landscape photographer but here goes... to those waiting.. sorry it took so long.

Anyone interested in landscape photography could have spent the entire trip focusing on that and never been bored.

I'd mentioned before that while shooting the grizzlies light each day was minimal due to cliffs on either side... these 3 shots will give an idea..

and a few hundred meters behind us was this on our bank...

this gives an idea of the hieght of the cliffs on either side. This pic shows about 1/2 the cliff's hieght.

next 3 pics are of some wild crabapple trees.. the grizzlies love these...